I have to give Michael Douglas credit. Douglas discussed his cancer while promoting Wall Street on Letterman, and Letterman basically asked him if he was going to die in fifty different ways. I wonder if Letterman would have asked the same questions had Douglas been over his house for brunch. “Hey, pass the lox, and by the way . . . are you going to die?” Michael Douglas’ forthright answers amazed me. Unlike many A-listers, he never puts restrictions on interview questions, no matter how uncomfortable. He openly discussed his son’s arrest on The View, and he also discussed his Cuckoo rift with his father, Kirk Douglas while on Letterman years ago. I’ve officially added him to my favorite-actors-in-Hollywood list. Watch below.
Rolling Stone ‘Mad Men’ Cover — Who’s the Insane Photographer?
Despite my lack of education in photography, I often fancy myself a shutterbug. Why? Because my father’s a fantastic photographer and I consider myself genetically pre-destined. Alright — enough ego-stroking — the Rolling Stone Mad Men cover is terrible. There, I said it. It’s almost as bad as the disgusting True Blood cover, but the lack of gore makes it a close second. Almost every Mad Men press poster is classed-up, and this backseat shot makes the characters look as if they are about to have an orgy. And what happened to Jon Hamm’s face? One of the best-looking leading men in history, looks like he’s in some kind of wind-tunnel that’s blowing his face off. It takes a keen eye to make Hamm look less than perfect. Good job, guys. Too see the cover, click here.
Edyta Sliwinska Quits Dancing With the Stars — Bye Bye Hot Dancers
First Karina Smirnoff, now Edyta? Because I’m superficial, and I like my female professional dancers to emit the long-legged hotness that I can never match, Edyta was a personal favorite. She’s quit the show due to a spat with producers, because they did not feature her husband, Alec Mazo, as much as she would have liked. This feud does answer my plaguing question about what ever happened to Alec Mazo, who I figured just did not want to appear on the show. After all, the man won the first season of Dancing With the Stars, so why wouldn’t the show keep him around? The only thing I can think of, is that the producers no longer want their professional dancers to be in relationships, because they like when the press speculates that they are romantically involved with their celebrity dance partners. That would also explain why Jonathan Roberts was fired, and his wife, Anna Trebunskaya, remains with the show. Keeping the husbands away perpetuated the ruse that both Anna and Edyta are hot, single ladies.
Lindsay Lohan Takes Responsibility in Vanity Fair — Or Not
Lindsay Lohan starts off her Vanity Fair interview saying that she’s not “making excuses.” She then spends the rest of the interview making excuses. Lohan claims that her partying days were akin to the college years that she never had, and she just happened to live those years in the public eye. Apparently she was just “doing certain things that most people do ten times more of when they’re in college.” First of all, I am not sure what your college experience was like, but mine did not involve arrests, drug abuse, and multiple stints in rehab. She also said that she would forgo clubbing altogether to get the respect back that she deserves, because clubbing “isn’t fun anyways.” Perhaps she should have done this interview three months from now to add some credibility to her bold proclamations. This reminds me of when Kirstie Alley told Oprah that she plans to start her own weight loss program, because she wants to lose all the weight she gained back after quitting Jenny Craig. Yeah — I don’t need to tell you how that turned out.
Dear Fantasia, Stop Talking About Your Suicide Attempt
When Fantasia Barrino first discussed her suicide attempt, I respected her choice. I thought she did it to get the press off her back, so that she could retreat into some intensive, in-house therapy for months, and only come out when she had recovered. I was wrong. It’s been only three weeks, and she’s done just about every interview on the planet. Not only that, she’s also discussing it at live performances. That’s quite the speedy recovery. Who knew that George Lopez, Good Morning America, Behind the Music, and the Los Angeles Times, could all help you bounce back so quickly? Oh yeah – did I mention that she’s still filming her reality show?
Howard Stern Tells Jerry Seinfeld He’ll Stay on the Radio
The only interesting thing about Jerry Seinfeld’s surprise call to Howard Stern’s radio show today, was Stern’s confession to Seinfeld that he’ll stay on the radio. Though he did not say he’ll re-sign with Sirius, he admitted that he won’t retire, and he is fielding “other offers.” The Stern/Seinfeld interview, was their first on-air exchange in over a decade because, as Seinfeld said, “you only go on Howard Stern when you’re on your way up, and when you’re on your way down.” Unfortunately, Stern didn’t ask Jerry about their “feud,” which Stern thinks started when he made fun of Jerry’s May-December romance with Shoshanna Lonstein (who was a teenager at the time). Jerry didn’t seem very in the mood to play though, so any mention of a past scuffle between them might have led to another decade of silent treatment.
Jewel’s In Memoriam Song — The Emmys’ Best Part
You wouldn’t think that the best part of the Emmy’s would be the In Memoriam section — but it was. For one of the first times in the history of the telecast, a live performance took place while the tribute was playing. Jewel sang The Shape of You, which is an unrecorded song that she wrote for a friend who died of cancer. I loved the performance, and it transformed the tribute into something a little more personal. My only complaint is the clapping from the audience while the pictures are flashing. It becomes a morbid competition as to who will be most remembered. I’m guessing the audience was previously informed not to clap, and some asshole seat-fillers didn’t listen. Actually, the seat-fillers probably listened, and the celebrities were likely the assholes. Anyways, listen to Jewel below. I love her.
John Mayer Slams the Word Slam — He’s my Hero
Amidst John Mayer’s war with the Huffington Post, I noticed something worth mentioning. After using a clever analogy to attack HuffPo’s negligent “fact checking,” he gave them a title for their next post. Here it is: “JOHN MAYER SLAMS HUFFPO: ” GO F**K YOURSELF!’” I imagine that the Huffington Post would have actually used that title, had he not beat them to the punch. I appreciate Mayer giving me an excuse to slam the word “slam,” because it’s a personal pet peeve. Almost every celebrity tabloid uses it for their title, even if its completely arbitrary. I conclude that unless “slam” is used in a sexual context, it should be abandoned altogether. To prove my point, I’ve listed some recent tabloid titles below.
- Actor Slams Fabricated Affair with Rimes. Popeater
- Witherspoon Slams Simpson. Teen Hollywood
- Kristin Chenoweth Slams Newsweek’s Homophobic Article. Just Jared
- Gerard Depardieu Slams Juliette Binoche: She is Nothing. Huffington Post
- Boy George Slams Lady Gaga Over Cocaine Confession. Pop Crunch
- Kelly Clarkson Slams Record Label on Stage. Digital Spy
- Jennifer Aniston Slammed for Using R Word in Interview. New York Post
- Taylor Momsen Slams Rihanna. Teens Press
Today’s Question: What’s Wrong With Being a “Fame-Whore?”
Today is a new day, and it’s therefore time for a new pet-peave. Both Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are throwing the word “famewhore” at each other, amidst Bristol joining Dancing With the Stars and Levi’s bid for Mayor of Wasilla. I think it’s fair to say they are both famewhores. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen famewhore name calling. Remember when douchey bachelor Jake Pavelka called Vienna a famewhore? Last time I checked Jake, there are many ways to meet “the one,” which don’t include starring in an ABC television show, and crying over a balcony like a woman. The truth is, just about everyone on the planet is a “famewhore,” and it’s only a rare few that have both fame and talent. So what’s wrong with a blind quest for fame? If you have ever gone to a show taping, you will see the crew, working tirelessly for an inordinate amount of hours, while the actors just loaf around and wait for their moment to robotically spit out their lines. I realize that acting is an art-form and I don’t mean to insult it. That being said, it would certainly be a nice life to get paid an excessive amount of money to sit around in your trailer while everyone else is doing the heavy lifting.
John Mayer Calls Huffington Post: “A Stripper Wearing Reading Glasses”
The world has officially ended when John Mayer starts to make sense. Mayer is pissed at the Huffington Post for reporting that he is back together with Jennifer Aniston. Apparently, HuffPo got their story from a recent Mayer concert, where he said some cryptic words on stage, that led to an arbitrary assumption that he was referencing an Aniston reunion. Mayer explained the real meaning of the quote, and then went on to attack the Huffington Post, for pretending to be something they aren’t. According to Mayer, he’s fine with Star Magazine and In Touch, because of their definitive tabloid identity, whereas HuffPo is disguised with a high-brow, hard-news image. And if his stripper analogy didn’t blow your mind, he also called them “an insolvent law student willing to dance for extra dollars.” Mayer is slowly removing himself from my Hollywood douchebag list. Keep the analogies coming!